Look out Lafayette!!

Good morning, Poppers! Your gurl was excited to wake up to the bright sunshine, but OMIGAWD, why is it so cold?!? I'm happy to say that I'm still typing this while my happy, hairy pussy and I are tucked into my bed. Say hi to Gracie.

As I mentioned last week, the IPBL leave tonight for the third leg of their world tour...Zoolegger's in Lafayette, IN (which was the destination for the first and second legs as well; I think we need more legs). Kokomo, Ft. Wayne, Muncie, Bloomington, Terre Haute...we're waiting for invites!!

Some of your IPBL: Cadillac Barbie, Sequoia Pentecost, Summer Clearance, Rachel Yoder, Regina Bitch and yours truly will be joining some of the gals from Zoolegger's to assemble a fantastic cast for one night only (until the next time we're up there). Showtime isn't until midnight so you'll have plenty of time to get your nap on OR cheer and scream your little hearts out for PURDUE...GO BOILERS!! I hope to see you tonight!

Tomorrow and Sunday nights I'm happy to say I will be performing at Zonie's Closet. I hyperextended my knew (again) a few weeks ago so I don't think I've actually been in the show at Zonie's since back in February. I'll have the pleasure of sharing the stage with the Closet Kittens and Miss Ginger Ale who was recently named first runner-up at Miss All American Goddess at Large. Congrats, gurl! Showtimes both Saturday and Sunday nights is 10:ish DST.

I have a ton of stuff to do before heading to Lafayette, so I'm going to post some pics from IPBL Shimmering Shamrocks Show 2010 for your enjoyment. Thanks to you, we were able to raise $1300 for IYG. Special thanks to Michael, Vivian and the staff and crew at Talbott Street for your continued support of the community.

Besos, Poppers!

Indy Pride Bag Ladies are at it again!!!

Hola, Poppers!

Yes, it's been almost a year since I last posted a blog...would you believe I've been busy? Perhaps busy-ness is no excuse, but I'm running with it.

It's no secret what I've been doing for the past few months and I have to say that I've felt more love and support from this community than I ever imagined I would. It's been like what I remember church being like as a kid...the awe, the wonder, the corporate worship, the pot-luck dinners, the women in fabulous hats and gorgeous shoes and crisp Sunday suits and gloves ~ all the stuff a budding homo would notice.

I've been involved in multiple fundraisers and I'm thankful to everyone who has allowed me to be a part of what I consider to be a ministry to our community.

Before I mention a few upcoming events, I'd like to share just one success story of the many I've seen recently. Friday night a fundraiser took place at Zonie's Closet called Love THY Neighbor. Reserved tables were sponsored by Norma Edwards of FC Tucker; clients and employees/volunteers of the Damien Center; members of TGIF; Great Lakes Productions; Cosmos; Erin Rake of IU School of Dentistry; and Amanda Harris of GayIndy.Com (PLEASE forgive me if I've left you off this list and you were a sponsor) and a $10 cover was requested at the door.


Love THY Neighbor was a fundraiser organized by Jazmyn Taylor for the Damien Center's Coby Palmer Food Pantry and in roughly two hours, almost $2000 was raised. Jillian James, Holly Luyah, Connie Ross, Alana Steele, Angela Stone and Jazmyn provided top-notch entertainment and I, ladies and gentlemen, had the pleasure of emceeing and watching these gals work and watching the funds roll in.


What I mentioned to the audience is that Love THY Neighbor allowed people to see a variety of GLBT organizations all in the same room united in raising funds for the people of their community and it was truly an honor and privilege to be a part of the evening. Thanks again to all the sponsors; Lori and Denice for providing the venue; Jillian, Holly, Connie, Alana, Angela and Jazmyn for giving your time, talents, tushes and ta-tas and special thanks to Jazmyn Taylor for organizing the event. You did a good thing.

Coming up next, Poppers...the Indy Pride Bag Ladies present...the annual Shimmering Shamrocks Show!! This Wednesday March 17 at Talbott Street come see your Indy Pride Bag Ladies laying it all out there to entertain you on the drunkest holiday the United States has to offer. Doors open at 7:00 and the show will start at 8:00. $5 cover and all tips collected by the performers will go to Indiana Youth Group.

On Friday March 26, some of the IPBL will be continuing the Bag Ladies World Tour with our second trip to Zoolegger's in Lafayette!! We were there last November and had a ball with the folks in Lafayette. I believe the show will start at midnight local time. Feel like a road trip? Follow us on up to Lafayette...book a room and stay the night!

And on Sunday April 18, Sequoia Pentecost and Rachel Yoder will host the 3rd Annual Country & Gospel Brunch at Talbott Street. More details to follow but I believe church starts at noon.

Poppers, I'm having the time of my life hanging out with all of you and I can't thank you enough for the love and support you continue to show the Indy Pride Bag Ladies.

Keep it spicy, babies! Amor y besos ~

Halle Pino

Around the world and back snaps to one of my favorite ladies in Indy. "Haaaaay, Miz Young!" If you get the chance, be sure to visit Young's Wig just east of Sherman on 10th Street...she has some of the best hair, boots and jewelry and 301s and 199s are almost always in stock. Tell her Halle axed how she durrin!

I can finally feel my toes again...kinda.

Good morning, Poppers!




From what I can see, it looks like it might be a gorgeous day, but I haven't even left the bed so I could be completely wrong.


I may have said this before, but I want to reiterate that I have nothing but respect for all the "ladies" out there who paint, powder and pad themselves up, tape and tuck their twig and danglies, slither into 4-way stretch or tape themselves into barely there sequins and satin, then strap on death-defying, on the brink of collapse, sky-high stilettos...all for OUR entertainment.


I had the pleasure of performing with some very talented individuals this weekend and gurls...I applaud you. Saturday night's benefit for Holly Luyah was a treat and I truly enjoyed being involved. I had my first major malfunction on Saturday...my hair fell off and an accessory exploded, but being the consummate entertainer in training, I Sallied forth. I'm just so proud of our gurl Holly and thank her for asking me to be a part of her show. Beat those bitches down in Dallas, honey!



If you were at the show on Saturday and have any photos you'd like to share, please forward them to HallePino@yahoo.com. I usually have friends with cameras at shows, but they were indisposed of on Saturday. Alana, Veronica, Jazmyn and Britney, it was fun, entertaining and interesting sharing the "stage" and "dressing area" with you and it was a pleasant surprise to see Stella Couture teetering around in some strappies! Thanks to Cosmos for hosting.



I'm happy to report that my gurl Aurora Diamonds took the crown at the Miss Hoosier 250 Pageant Sunday night at Talbott Street. You'll get to see Aurora waving flags at the Hoosier 250 this Sunday, but only if you make it to the race. I went for the first time last year and had an absolute ball. The race is actually being held on Mass Ave and the street between College and Park will be closed off for the event. Put on your sunscreen (or bring your bumblechute) and get ready to tailgate. This is truly the greatest spectacle in racing. And...Metro provides a free cookout after the race! Registration begins at 12:00 and the flag drops at 1:00.





Speaking of Metro, just a reminder that they are now having drag shows on Sunday night. Alana Steele, Holly Luyah, Adessah Reed and I made up the cast this past Sunday. There was a receptive audience there Sunday night and we appreciate you coming out. The regular bevy of beautiful babes will be Alana, Holly and Erica King with special guests joining the tantalizing, talented trio. Show time is at 9:00 Sunday nights.






There are some things I REALLLY want to get off my chest, but I'll not be the antigonist. Some of you know that this wasn't the best of weekends for me and I appreciate your support and well-wishes. One thing I will say, however is that there is an appropriate time and place for everything...yes, even a time for making a complete and utter ass of yourself.



Kisses to Toddles and thanks to Tony for this:





Love yourselves and each other, babies.


Halle

Wild Wild Weekend...

Good morning, Poppers!!

I hope you're enjoying the sunshine on this gorgeous Saturday!

I don't have much time, but I wanted to make sure you're remembering a couple of things happening in Indy this weekend.

First of all, tonight at Cosmos, "Paving the Road to Dallas," a benefit for Holly Luyah. I'm soo excited that Indiana has Holly representing us at Miss Gay USofA! The show starts at 10:00 and features Alana Steele, Britney Taylor, Jazmyn Taylor, yours truly and Holly Luyah. Please come out and support our Holly as she raises money to complete in Dallas.

If you're looking for pageant action this weekend, please be sure to head over to Talbott Street Sunday at 7:00 p.m. for Miss Hoosier 250. I'm not sure who the other contestants are, but I know that my girl, the multi-faceted Aurora Diamonds is competing this year.

Please support Talbott Street and your favorite contestant.

Last but certainly not least, drag is back at Metro!! This Sunday, Metro on Mass Ave is bringing in Alana Steele, Holly Luyah, Erica King and yours truly to kick off a new Sunday night show. From what I'm told, Alana, Holly and Erica will be on cast and they will welcome in a guest performer on Sundays. I'm too too excited to be included in this new venture and hope it will be successful for Metro and the performers.

Alright, babies...dresses to hem and wigs to bang. Gotta go. Be good to yourselves. Hope to see you soon!

*kiss kiss*

Halle

Has it really begun already?

Good morning, Poppers!!

I know I've been out of touch for several weeks, but I've truly just been worn out.

The busy season has set in and a touch of crazy intensity is in the air. Let's play a little bit of catch up, shall we?

Carl's benefit, as you know went off without a hitch. His surgery took place on 4/21 and went well. His brother was sent home by the following Friday and Carl was discharged on Sunday. Although Carl was readmitted yesterday because of some side effects of the meds he's on, they're releasing him again today...personally, I think he developed a taste for sounding while he was in the hospital and wanted to be re-cathed. He claims that's not the case. I guess I'll believe him. Love you, Carl.

On the stiletto heels of Carl's benefit, the Bag Ladies went right into The 2nd annual Country/Gospel Brunch. What a hoot and a holler! I attended last year, but actually performed in this year's show. I had an absolute ball and even though final numbers aren't in yet, I believe we raised $3000+? I'll update that once it's confirmed.





On the same day as the Gospel Brunch, we turned right back out to Talbott Street to support our own Aurora Diamond as she participated in and stomped it out to win TNT (Talbott's Night of Talent or Talent Night at Talbott...I've heard it called several things). Good job, gal! She'll now be a special guest on I believe Sunday May 17. Good job, baby!

Please remember that this Thursday, April 30, 2009 is Indy’s 15th Annual Dining Out for Life! Area restaurants will participate in the largest restaurant event in the Indianapolis area, benefiting the Damien Center and hundreds of people living with HIV & AIDS throughout our region. Making a difference is as easy as going out to eat! Participating Restaurants will donate 25-50% of your food bill on April 30th to pay for local services in the Fight Against AIDS.

Their generosity coupled with your generous donation will make a very real difference in the lives of thousands of men, women, and children throughout the region living with HIV and AIDS. This year's Premier participating restaurants are: Blu Martini, Cafe Patachou, Adobo Grill, Palomino, Forty Five Degrees, Petite Chou, and Arni's Restaurant! These fine restaurants are contributing 50% of sales this year!

Forty Five Degrees is also hosting the official After Party starting at 10:00 p.m. Come out and celebrate as the reports of funds raised roll in. Forty Five Degrees will continue to donate 25% of all sales to Dining Out for Life. For a list of all participating restaurants, please visit
www.diningoutforlife.com/indianapolis/participating

Also this Thursday, please make plans to attend Miss Shining Star Continental 2009 at Talbott Street. Shawn Batton of Shining Star Productions was generous enough to donate tickets to the pageant for use as giveaway items for "Drink Your Juice, Shelby," and we thank him for his support. Shawn promises this 5 Year Anniversary Celebration will be a tremendous event and the competition will be fierce. Doors open at 8:00 and the pageant starts at 9:00. Admission is $10. For more information, please visit http://www.missshiningstar.com/


Moving on, this Friday and Saturday May 1 and 2, are Grand Finals for Metro Idol 2009. All the way from Louisville, KY The Mistress of Mayhem, Hurricane Summers will be Mistress of Ceremonies for the weekend. Although things have yet to be confirmed, I'm told that Miss Gay Indianapolis, Erica King, Fairrah Flame and Cherilynn Douchey will be performing on Friday night and Summer Clearance and yours truly will be performing on Saturday. Once confirmed, I'll post it either here or on Facebook, if not on both. p.s. If you've not added me as a friend on Facebook yet, please do. Just search for Halle Pino.

Last but not least, May 9 at 10:00 p.m., Cosmos is hosting "Paving the Road to Dallas," a benefit for one of my favorite people in the world, Miss Gay Indiana USofA, Holly Luyah!! Can I get a "AMEN?!?" Performers include (in alphabetical order): Bianca Defy, Halle Pino (haaaaay!), Alana Steele, Britney Taylor, Jazmyn Taylor and Holly Luyah herself. We'll be raising funds to send Holly and her team to Dallas to compete in the Miss Gay USofA nationals pageant, so please come out and support.

Alright, kids...that's a tortilla wrap for this week. Please keep me in your prayers...I'm old and got a ton o'shit coming up. Also, keep your fingers crossed for my sponsorship for the Circle City INPride 2009 Parade...I just resubmitted my request to a local restaurant. If things go well, you might just see Halle in her Crawfish Mobile in the parade.

Keep it spicy, Poppers!

*kiss kiss*

Halle

Long may she reign...

Hola, Poppers!

I'm happy as a chola in sharpie lip-liner and eyebrows to announce that my girl Holly Luyah is your new Miss Gay Indiana USofA!!

If you've read this blog, you know I just adore that gal and I'm proud as Mary of her accomplishments. I just love love love her and can't wait to perform with her again. Holly, You. Go. Gurl!!

Thank you, everyone!

Greetings, Poppers! As I'm sure you can tell by the pictures, "Drink Your Juice, Shelby" was a tremendous night. I'm very proud of everyone who was a part of this benefit and even though I've thanked all of them already, I want to do it publicly:

Because of all of you, $1610 was raised for Carl DeLong and his family. Carl and his family were truly moved by the amount of support and love shown to them and I appreciate your partcipation in this event more than I can say.

Vivian - thank you for donating the bar for the night! Guido, JB, Nate, Sebastian, Bennett and Tim were amazing to work with. I hope I didn't run them ragged. You rock, baby!

Adessah, Asia, Caddi, Caress, Erica, Ginger, Naomi, Regina, Sue and Summer - You girls brought your "A" game and worked, bucked and turned it out!! I hope I never fail to tell you how much I respect and appreciate what you gals do. It was a privilege and a pleasure to share the stage with you tonight. Thanks for being on speed dial.

HR, Nick, Shere and Adam - you kids make Halle's life so easy. I couldn't do it without you. HR - BRAVO!! I think you have a faboo career in drag-handling in your pocket. Shere - thanks for sticking it out in that booth for almost 3 hours. Nick - can't wait to see the photos.

Queen Blossom - gal, I adore you. You continue to turn up and turn it out and I have such admiration for you. Thanks for the gorgeous centerpiece and for running the prize table.

Adam, Dean & Tim at Downtown Olly's, Greg, Sam & Shawn of Shining Star Productions - thank you so much for your donations to the prize table. People were pleased with what they won and I appreciate your generosity.

Donnie - thanks for running the spot, babe. I hope you weren't neglected up there.

Bill, Jeremy & Sam - thank you for your running and accountant work tonight as well as your tips and hints, wig-banging and make-up.

I hope I included everyone. If someone was left off, please know it was purely unintentional. The support you all provided and your selflessness encourage me to do more in the community. I am blessed to know all of you.

*kiss kiss*

Halle

p.s. Just a quick shout-out to a new, self-proclaimed "Popper-Girl": HAY, DARCI!! Hope to see you soon!!